JD Vance - Meet the Freshmen

JD Vance

JD Vance
Party:
Republican
Chamber:
Senate
State:

OH: JD Vance (R)

REPLACING:

Rob Portman (R)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Narya (Co-Founder / Partner); HarperCollins Publishers (Author); Revolution LLC (Managing Partner of the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund); Our Ohio Renewal (Founder); Mithril Capital (Principal); Sidley Austin (Attorney); Office of US District Court Judge David Bunning (Law Clerk); Office of US Senator John Cornyn (Law Clerk); US Marine Corps (Enlisted Marine)[ii] [iii] [iv] [v]

EDUCATION:

Diploma, Middletown High School; BA, The Ohio State University; JD, Yale Law School[vi] [vii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

American Decline Was a Choice; Spending & Inflation; Advocate for Energy Independence; Restore America’s Manufacturing Base; Solve Southern Border Crisis; Combat Drug & Opioid Epidemic; Dismantle Big Tech Oligarchy; A Foreign Policy That Puts America First; Defend American Small Businesses; End Abortion; Protect Second Amendment Rights; Election Integrity; COVID-19 & Schools[viii]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Vance is “100 percent pro-life” and believes that abortion has turned American society “into a place where we see children as an inconvenience to be thrown away rather than a blessing to be nurtured.”[ix] He called the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case “historic” and “an amazing victory for the pro life movement,” arguing it would usher in a new era of society that “prioritizes family and the sanctity of all life.”[x] [xi] Vance has indicated he would support a national 15-week abortion ban with “reasonable exceptions.”[xii] [xiii] [xiv] However, he has argued against the need for exceptions for rape and incest in abortion laws, stating, “It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society.”[xv] Vance has been endorsed by Ohio Right to Life and the Susan B. Anthony List.[xvi]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Vance has criticized the Biden administration for spending “billions and billions of dollars on things we don’t need,” which he blames for increasing inflation that makes it harder for Americans to afford basic needs.[xvii] He praised President Trump for cancelling and renegotiating “terrible” trade deals like NAFTA, which he suggested would help restore America’s industrial base.[xviii] Vance has said he is “done” with an economy that favors “anti-American multinationals over pro-American local businesses.”[xix] He supports cutting taxes for companies that invest in America and raising taxes on those that ship jobs overseas and “use their money to fund anti-American radical movements.”[xx] Vance supports expanding child tax credits.[xxi] He opposed the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden in 2021.[xxii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Vance has called the ACA a “disaster” and has advocated for repealing and replacing the program with something that has “some substance to it.”[xxiii] Despite previously calling Social Security and Medicare “roadblocks” to fiscal sanity, Vance currently opposes cutting or privatizing the programs.[xxiv] He argues that in order to protect Social Security the US must “stop spending so much on welfare benefits and start having a lot more workers who are paying into the system.”[xxv] He supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and will fight efforts to “strip money from the Medicare program to pay for other things.”[xxvi] He will also support allowing US companies and pharmacies to import drugs from overseas to create more competition and drive down costs.[xxvii] Vance opposed COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates and signed the “Public Health Protection Pledge,” promising to vote to subpoena Dr. Fauci and investigate “any corrupt activities to which he may be party regarding the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the numerous and demonstrable lies that he has told to the United States Congress and the American people.”[xxviii] [xxix] [xxx] [xxxi] Vance has said he will work to ensure parents don’t come home from the hospital with surprise medical bills.[xxxii] He opposes universal childcare, calling it “class war against normal people” and “terrible for children.”[xxxiii] [xxxiv] [xxxv]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Vance has called for reducing the total number of legal immigrants permitted to enter the country each year and believes the US should only admit those who “contribute something meaningful to our country.”[xxxvi] He has criticized the Biden administration’s “do-nothing policies” that give millions of undocumented immigrants a “free pass to break our laws, traffic drugs into our communities, contribute to rising crime and take jobs away from hardworking Americans.”[xxxvii] He has also argued that Biden’s immigration policies have “created a crisis out of thin air” after four years of successful border control efforts under the Trump administration.[xxxviii] In the Senate, Vance, who has called illegal immigration “dirty” and been accused of supporting “replacement theory,” will oppose efforts to grant amnesty to those here illegally and work to finish building the wall and increase the number of border patrol agents.[xxxix] [xl] [xli]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Vance has accused Democrats of flooding the US with criminals and drugs and choosing to “take a knee as radicals ransacked our cities and made our communities less safe.”[xlii] He wants the US to “declare war on the violent crime on our streets” and increase funding for law enforcement to hire 100,000 additional officers.[xliii] He supports qualified immunity.[xliv]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

In the days after the 2020 election, Vance criticized states that delayed counting ballots.[xlv] He has called for an end to COVID-era changes to the electoral process and a return to a system with “an election day […] not an election season.”[xlvi] He also supports other “common-sense” election integrity measures, such as requiring voter ID, signature verification on absentee ballots, and ending “mass mail-in voting.”[xlvii] He has accused corporations like Apple and Coca Cola of threatening states that pass election integrity measures.[xlviii] Notably, he says the “fraudulent” January 6 Select Committee is the ”real assault on Democracy” and accused Democrats of using it to “bully & torture their political opponents.”[xlix] Vance has said he will accept the results of the 2022 election.[l]

EDUCATION:

Vance opposes teaching Critical Race Theory and wants parents to have more choices when it comes to their children’s education.[li] [lii] He called student loan forgiveness a “massive windfall to the rich, to the college educated, and most of all to the corrupt university administrators of America.”[liii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Vance advocates for American energy independence and has called for increased production of domestic oil and natural gas, arguing there is “no reason for us to be buying foreign oil at insane prices and continue straining families financially just to fill up their tanks.”[liv] He says Democrats have “gone to war against America’s energy sector” and has called for “common-sense” energy policies that put American consumers first.[lv] [lvi] Vance opposes banning fracking and has suggested electric vehicles are a “scam.”[lvii]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

Vance believes Big Tech is the “biggest threat to American democracy today” and claims his professional background makes him the most qualified candidate to dismantle the “big tech oligarchy.”[lviii] [lix] He says Big Tech promised “better lives and faster communication,” but instead just “steals our private information, sells it to the Chinese, and then censors conservatives and others for daring to have a controversial opinion.”[lx] He has called for breaking up Big Tech companies “to reduce their power in our economy and our politics.”[lxi] He also wants to ban the theft of personal information and for Congress to subpoena Big Tech executives and investigate their role in Black Lives Matter protests.[lxii] [lxiii]

GUN SAFETY:

Vance supports Second Amendment rights and has been endorsed by the NRA, which gave him an “AQ” rating in 2022.[lxiv] He has also earned the endorsement of Buckeye Firearms PAC.[lxv] He has accused President Biden and “anti-democracy” multinational companies of trying to find new ways to take guns away from law-abiding citizens by making it harder to buy firearms and ammunition and imposing “new, unconstitutional regulations.”[lxvi] In the Senate, Vance will fight back against “gun grabbers” and oppose efforts to pass gun safety legislation, including bills that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, raise the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21, strengthen background checks, enact safe storage laws and red flag laws, and repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.[lxvii] [lxviii]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Vance has accused China of “stealing from American industry” and criticized Democrats for choosing to “make a quick buck by selling our industrial base” to the Chinese.[lxix] He has questioned why the US is “spending billions on battery technologies that are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and built by Chinese workers.”[lxx] Vance has praised President Trump for imposing punitive tariffs on companies that manufacture in China and other nations.[lxxi] Vance has argued that the “Russia-Ukraine border dispute has nothing to do” with US national security and that “no American interest is served by our intervention, and that the obsession with Ukraine from our idiot leaders serves no function except to distract us from our actual problems.”[lxxii] He opposes a “European led” no-fly-zone in Ukraine and says the US is “at the point where we’ve given enough money” to help them in their conflict with Russia.[lxxiii] [lxxiv] Despite his opposition to US involvement in Ukraine, Vance does believe the US should take at least some action when it comes to defending Taiwan against a hypothetical Chinese attack, arguing that is a “much different situation.”[lxxv] Notably, a video-sharing company backed by Vance’s investment firm has reportedly been used as a platform to spread Russian propaganda.[lxxvi]


[i] “Sen. Rob Portman,” LegiStorm, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/51576/Robert_Jones_Portman.html.

[ii] JD Vance LinkedIn, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-vance-770a9047/.

[iii] “Provost’s Discovery Themes Lecturer Program: J.D. Vance,” The Ohio State University, November 7, 2017, available at https://discovery.osu.edu/provosts-discovery-themes-lecturer-program-jd-vance.

[iv] “J.D. Vance,” Aspen Ideas, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://www.aspenideas.org/index.php/speakers/jd-vance.

[v] “J.D. Vance,” Ballotpedia, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://ballotpedia.org/J.D._Vance.

[vi] Michael D. Clark, “Middletown native J.D. Vance’s book started with simple question,” Journal-News, March 10, 2017, available at https://www.journal-news.com/news/middletown-native-vance-book-started-with-simple-question/wiUzBgVwzDhvk72sl8SnRP/.

[vii] JD Vance LinkedIn, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-vance-770a9047/.

[viii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[ix] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[x] JD Vance Twitter, May 2, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1521327373920227330.

[xi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xii] Lynna Lai & Dave “Dino” DeNatale, “Ryan, JD Vance take part in Fox News town hall one week before election,” WKYC News, November 1, 2022, available at https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/politics/elections/ohio-us-senate-candidates-tim-ryan-jd-vance-fox-news-town-hall-one-week-until-election/95-9b1c4f7e-6b5b-40ea-a20a-246aa413bde3.

[xiii] Karen Kasler, “Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance face off on economy, abortion, politics in Ohio U.S. Senate debate,” Statehouse News Bureau, October 11, 2022, available at https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2022-10-11/tim-ryan-jd-vance-face-off-on-economy-abortion-politics-in-first-of-two-ohio-us-senate-debates.

[xiv] Julie Carr Smyth, “Ohio Senate debate with Ryan, Vance descends into attacks,” Associated Press, October 11, 2022, available at https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-ohio-donald-trump-rob-portman-cleveland-4e6027437b2632eb244c805de200dda6.

[xv] John Wagner, “Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance argues against need for rape and incest exceptions in abortion laws,” Washington Post, September 24, 2021, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/vance-abortion-rape/2021/09/24/c3007318-1d32-11ec-8380-5fbadbc43ef8_story.html.

[xvi] “Endorsements,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/endorsements/.

[xvii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xviii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xix] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xx] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxii] Natalie Allison, “J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan face off in debate as early voting nears,” Politico, October 10, 2022, available at https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/10/j-d-vance-tim-ryan-ohio-senate-debate-00061144.

[xxiii] Dylan Reynolds, “U.S. Senate candidate JD Vance campaigns in Avon,” Chronicle-Telegram, February 2, 2022, available at https://chroniclet.com/news/290608/us-senate-candidate-jd-vance-campaigns-in-avon/.

[xxiv] Travis Waldron & Arthur Delaney, “J.D. Vance Ditches Past Support For Social Security Cuts,” HuffPost, July 13, 2022, available at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jd-vance-ohio-senate-blake-masters-social-security_n_62cede26e4b0eef119c132fb.

[xxv] Sarah Hollander, “Senate Candidates Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance Talk Health Care, Social Security and More,” AARP, September 28, 2022, available at https://states.aarp.org/ohio/bulletin-senate-q-and-a.

[xxvi] Sarah Hollander, “Senate Candidates Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance Talk Health Care, Social Security and More,” AARP, September 28, 2022, available at https://states.aarp.org/ohio/bulletin-senate-q-and-a.

[xxvii] Sarah Hollander, “Senate Candidates Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance Talk Health Care, Social Security and More,” AARP, September 28, 2022, available at https://states.aarp.org/ohio/bulletin-senate-q-and-a.

[xxviii] JD Vance Twitter, October 1, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1443999667482673155.

[xxix] JD Vance Twitter, August 5, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1555558435948740610.

[xxx] JD Vance Twitter, January 23, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1485468624064233472.

[xxxi] JD Vance Twitter, February 5, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1490030328525869058.

[xxxii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxxiii] JD Vance Twitter, April 29, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1387763955557445640.

[xxxiv] JD Vance Twitter, April 29, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1387763394158137356.

[xxxv] JD Vance Twitter, April 29, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1387756302714220547.

[xxxvi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxxvii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxxviii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xxxix] Marc Tracy, “Trump Is Gone, but the Media’s Misinformation Challenge Is Still Here,” New York Times, July 27, 2021, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/us/politics/trump-false-claims-media.html.

[xl] Aila Slisco, “Tim Ryan Rips J.D. Vance on ‘Replacement Theory,’ Ties to ‘Extremists,’” Newsweek, October 17, 2022, available at https://www.newsweek.com/tim-ryan-rips-jd-vance-replacement-theory-ties-extremists-1752593.

[xli] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xlii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xliii] Paulina Tam, “JD Vance, Tim Ryan meet for first Ohio Senate debate as polls show tight race,” ABC News, October 10, 2022, available at https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jd-vance-tim-ryan-meet-ohio-senate-debate/story?id=91254198.

[xliv] Paulina Tam, “JD Vance, Tim Ryan meet for first Ohio Senate debate as polls show tight race,” October 10, 2022, available at https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jd-vance-tim-ryan-meet-ohio-senate-debate/story?id=91254198.

[xlv] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xlvi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xlvii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xlviii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[xlix] JD Vance Twitter, January 5, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1478823042356850690.

[l] Karen Kasler, “Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance face off on economy, abortion, politics in Ohio U.S. Senate debate,” Statehouse News Bureau, October 11, 2022, available at https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2022-10-11/tim-ryan-jd-vance-face-off-on-economy-abortion-politics-in-first-of-two-ohio-us-senate-debates.

[li] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lii] Brandon Bounds, “Ryan, Vance split by education, border control in Ohio Senate race,” WBNS 10 News, October 27, 2022, available at https://www.10tv.com/article/news/politics/elections/ohio-us-senate-candidates-what-to-know/530-d96f3920-faf3-4075-b3ee-b8956b48d0b2.

[liii] JD Vance Twitter, April 27, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1519292884314431490.

[liv] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lv] Karen Kasler, “Tim Ryan, J.D. Vance face off on economy, abortion, politics in Ohio U.S. Senate debate,” Statehouse News Bureau, October 11, 2022, available at https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2022-10-11/tim-ryan-jd-vance-face-off-on-economy-abortion-politics-in-first-of-two-ohio-us-senate-debates.

[lvi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lvii] Dan Gearino, “Ohio Senate Contest Features Two Candidates Who Profess Love for Natural Gas,” Inside Climate News, October 18, 2022, available at https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18102022/ohio-senate-climate-jd-vance-tim-ryan/.

[lviii] Joseph A. Wulfsohn, “JD Vance calls Big Tech ‘the biggest threat to American democracy today,’” Fox News, November 1, 2022, available at https://www.foxnews.com/media/jd-vance-calls-big-tech-biggest-threat-american-democracy-today.

[lix] Mark Niquette, “JD Vance Charts GOP Push Against Big Tech With Help From Thiel,” Bloomberg, November 13, 2021, available at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-13/jd-vance-charts-gop-push-against-big-tech-with-help-from-thiel.

[lx] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxiii] JD Vance Twitter, January 5, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1478823045431181314.

[lxiv] “Ohio,” NRA-PVF Grades & Endorsements, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/ohio/.

[lxv] “Endorsements,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/endorsements/.

[lxvi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxvii] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxviii] JD Vance Twitter, June 2, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1532560373618024448.

[lxix] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxx] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxxi] “Issues,” JD Vance for US Senate, accessed November 7, 2022, available at https://jdvance.com/issues/.

[lxxii] JD Vance Twitter, February 22, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1496239566638002179.

[lxxiii] JD Vance Twitter, March 22, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1506298747654914061.

[lxxiv] Josh Croup, “Vance calls for end to U.S. funding to Ukraine, believes Trump will return to rally in Ohio,” ABC 13 Action News, September 1, 2022, available at https://www.13abc.com/2022/09/01/vance-calls-end-us-funding-ukraine-believes-trump-will-return-rally-ohio/.

[lxxv] Jonathan Weisman & Trip Gabriel, “Six Takeaways From the Vance-Ryan Debate for Senate in Ohio,” New York Times, October 10, 2022, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/10/us/politics/jd-vance-tim-ryan-ohio-debate.html.

[lxxvi] Danny Hakim, “Company Backed by J.D. Vance Gives Platform for Russian Propaganda,” New York Times, October 31, 2022, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/us/politics/jd-vance-peter-thiel-rumble.html.

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